The
2020 Gambia Open golf tournament organised by The Gambia Golf Association
(GGA), in partnership with Fajara Club, is set to take place at the Fajara Club
Golf Course from 25-29 March 2020.
The
Gambia Open is an international event, which is also The Gambia’s national
championship event for golf.
This
year’s tournament is dedicated to the memory of Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, GGA’s
first Chief Patron, who died peacefully aged 95 at his home in Fajara, on
Tuesday 27 August 2019.
Sir
Dawda’s personal contribution and that of his government, to the game of golf
in The Gambia is unparalleled. Therefore it is befitting that the first Gambia
Open Golf Tournament following his death, be dedicated to his memory.
The
winner of the professional category is expected to receive D52,000, amongst
other cash prize monies for the 2nd to 7th positions.
Exciting
prizes for the amateur categories include two air tickets to any destination,
sponsored by Royal Air Maroc.
The
late Sir Dawda was a keen golfer and used to compete regularly in the Hassan II
Golf Trophy in Rabat, Morocco.
In
his autobiography KAIRABA, Sir Dawda stated that he was introduced to the game
of golf in 1962, thanks to the persistence of J P Bray, the last British holder
of the post of superintendent of the then Gambia Police, also known as the
Gambia Constabulary.
Sir
Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a trained veterinary surgeon and Gambian politician,
who served as the first Prime Minister from 1965 to 1970, and then as the first
President of The Gambia, from 1970 to 1994.
Both
of Sir Dawda’s surviving wives, a few of his children and some of his
grandchildren also took up the game of golf. One of his sons Ebrima, is a
founding member of the GGA and is currently the association’s president.
Since
its inception in 2009 as the National Governing Body for Golf in The Gambia,
the GGA has regularly held tournaments and has since paid out almost GMD1.2
million in professional prize money.
